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Surface treating method and surface-treating apparatusRelated Patent Categories: Etching A Substrate: Processes, Gas Phase And Nongaseous Phase Etching On The Same SubstrateSurface treating method and surface-treating apparatus description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070034601, Surface treating method and surface-treating apparatus. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a surface-treating apparatus capable of favorably flattening the surface of a material for an electronic device or of a substrate for an electronic device that is to be flattened, while suppressing the damage to the material or substrate. BACKGROUND ART [0002] The present invention can be widely applied to the production of the materials for electronic devices, such as semiconductors or semiconductor devices, and liquid crystal devices. Here, for convenience of explanation, there will be exemplified the background art relating to the semiconductor devices. [0003] The semiconductor as represented by silicon and the substrate for electronic device materials are subjected to various treatments such as forming an insulating film like an oxide film, depositing a film by CVD and etching. [0004] It is not too much to say that performance of modern semiconductor devices has developed being supported by the technology for fabricating fine devices as represented by transistors. Continuing efforts have been made to improve the technology for fabricating fine semiconductor devices for further enhancing performance. To meet the requirements for finely fabricating the semiconductor devices and for enhancing the performance in recent years, an increasing importance has been placed on the technology for flattening the substrates or various treated articles (e.g., interlayer insulating film on the substrate or in the substrate, and metal wiring of a buried pattern). [0005] This is because, in forming, for example, a semiconductor device in a multiplicity of layers, if the substrate or the article being subjected to the intermediate treatment is rugged on the surfaces thereof, it becomes difficult to form another layer or wiring thereon. [0006] A so-called CMP (chemical mechanical polishing) process has so far been mainly used for flattening the surfaces of the substrate in the production of semiconductor devices or of various treated articles, since it is capable of easily flattening the surfaces that are to be formed. [0007] Accompanying a rapid development such as forming a substrate (wafer) of a large diameter for semiconductors, finely forming the patterns and forming a multiplicity of layers, the CMP process is now becoming a technology indispensable for a modern process for producing VLSI's. [0008] In the CMP apparatus used for the CMP process, the surface of the wafer is polished by pushing the surface of the wafer that is rotating onto a polishing cloth (pad) on a disk that is rotating while supplying a slurry (fluid containing a polishing material) by dripping onto the pad. In polishing, for example, silicon or oxide film, there is used silica or zirconia (ZrO.sub.2) as a polishing material and in polishing a metal used for the wiring, there is used, in many cases, alumina or manganese dioxide as a polishing material, though the polishing material used for the CMP may differ depending upon the object to be polished. [0009] In conducting the polishing relying upon the above-mentioned CMP process which effects the mechanical/chemical polishing, however, it was difficult to avoid the occurrence of damage such as "scratches" on the surfaces of the wafer due to mutual action between the polishing agent and the surfaces of the wafer. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION [0010] An object of the present invention to provide a surface treating method and a surface-treating apparatus free of the above-mentioned problem encountered in the prior art. [0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide a surface treating method and a surface-treating apparatus capable of favorably flatting the surfaces of a material for an electronic device or of a substrate for an electronic device, while suppressing the damage to such material or substrate. [0012] As a result of earnest study, the present inventors have found that, it is very effective in achieving the above object, to polish the material for an electronic device or the substrate for an electronic device by a combination of chemical/chemical actions or chemical/electric actions based on a combination of a plasma (or, one or more kinds of those selected from radicals, positive ions and negative ions based on a plasma) and a liquid (i.e., in a wet state), instead of polishing the material for the electronic device or the substrate for the electronic device simply on the basis of combination of mechanical/chemical actions in the prior art. [0013] A surface-treating method according to the present invention is based on the above discovery. More specifically, the surface-treating method comprises irradiating the surface of the material with at least a part of plasma components, while supplying a liquid to the surface of the material, to thereby flatten the surface of the material. [0014] The present invention also provides a surface-treating apparatus, comprising at least: a processing chamber for placing a material for an electronic device to be treated at a predetermined position therein; material-holding means for holding the material for an electronic device in the processing chamber (the holding means can include a heater for heating the substrate and an electrostatic chuck for intimately attaching the substrate to the holding means); liquid-supplying means for supplying a liquid onto the surface of the material for an electronic device; and plasma-processing means for treating the surface of the material for an electronic device with a plasma; whereby the surface of the material can be irradiated with the plasma, while supplying the liquid onto the surface of the material for an electronic device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0015] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of the surface-treating apparatus according to the present invention. [0016] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of the conventional CMP apparatus. [0017] FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing another embodiment of the conventional CMP apparatus. [0018] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing another embodiment of the surface-treating apparatus according to the present invention. [0019] FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view for illustrating the effect of the surface-treating apparatus according to the present invention. [0020] FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view showing a further embodiment of the surface-treating apparatus according to the present invention; Continue reading about Surface treating method and surface-treating apparatus... 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